


Fluffy Ears and Late Night Chats

by gayships



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: < i swear im not inserting random oc's she's related to the plot okay, ..... my SON, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Galra Keith (Voltron), Hispanic Lance (Voltron), Keith is a Fluffy Bat Ear Boy, Korean Keith (Voltron), M/M, Miscommunication, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Space Dad Shiro (Voltron), but not space DADDY shiro sorry yall this is klance, even hunk, everyone's kind of an asshole to keith for a little bit there tbh, klance, klangst, lance is a little prick when he feels betrayed lmao, nonbinary pidge, sort of, what else do i tag
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-14
Updated: 2017-01-07
Packaged: 2018-08-08 16:05:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7764256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gayships/pseuds/gayships
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>*work undergoing major renovations due to release of season 2, being edited to be canon-compliant*</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The moment it became apparent that they were losing the fight, Keith began grappling for an escape plan- he hadn’t had one planned, and he doubted even Pidge or Shiro had thought to come up with one- they’d been _so confident._ They had all of the Lions, they were prepared, Allura and Coran had come along as reinforcements, and Keith had even allowed himself to get pumped up by Lance’s crooning about how they were ‘ gonna pummel Zarkon into the DIRT!’.

 

Even when they’d been forced to abandon their Lion’s, having planted them to the bottom of the Galra ship, they were confident. They had a fool proof plan that began with them shutting down the ships power and ended with them beating up Zarkon and tying him to a chair- or _something._

 

They’d gotten alot of it done- the power went out, Pidge and Lance had released as many prisoners as they could, telling them to fight against the officers as a mob. Keith had gone with Shiro as backup while they slowly worked their way through the security that had still managed to stay in place despite the power cut. 

 

Shiro’s Galra hand was very helpful for that, and Keith had his bayard at the ready whenever a guard intercepted them. He mostly just ended up butting them in the head with it- Galra skulls weren’t any thicker than humans, it seemed. Hunk was with Allura and Coran, monitoring from the very control room where he had shut down the power from and ready to alert anyone if somehow they were put in extreme danger and had to retreat. 

 

They beginning of the end was when Hunk said “ Hey- I think someone’s coming- I’m gonna cut out for a minute, if I’m not back in ten, abort.” He didn’t sound particularly worried, so Keith brushed the comment aside. He heard Lance make a comment of affirmation, which he always tended to do. Keith heard the _click_ of Hunk turning off his comm. He glanced at Shiro, who was pressing his hand into a keypad hole in the wall. Their was a bright purple glow, and the air locks released. 

 

Keith tensed- this was where they were most vunerable. If anyone was on the other side, they would have gotten a faint purple glow as a warning- more than Keith and Shiro had as the doors slid open. 

 

Keith breathed as their was no immediate threat to be seen, taking a step forward. 

 

He saw Shiro reach up to his comm a moment before he heard the older paladin’s feed in his ears.

 

“ Lance, Pidge- head towards us, we’ve only got a couple gates left. Be prepared for guards- we took out the ones we saw, but there will be more. Comm us if there’s trouble.” 

 

Double ‘ Kay ‘ ’s answered him. Keith rolled his eyes, because they were on a serious mission. They couldn’t strain their mouths to say ‘ Affirmative’ or ‘Okay’?

 

As Shiro opened the next door, he cringed as he heard Lance’s voice in his head reminding him of the proverbial stick up his ass.

 

“ _I need Backup!_ ” was the first thing Keith heard before he quite suddenly had an offensive purple lazer shot at him. He narrowly avoided having his wrist shot off by deflecting it with his bayard. Keith made a noise not dissimilar to a growl as he swung at the Galra soldier- he barely took notice of Shiro punching someone with his Galra fist whilst he knocked the Galra with the side of his Bayard, sending him sprawling. 

 

Fortunately, the two soldiers were the only ones guarding this door- Keith found this odd, considering they were only one door away from the main control room. Though, that room was probably full of the most highly trained Galra soldiers in the universe, so they were most likely confident. He heard yelling from behind them, presumably Pidge and Lance making their way towards them.

 

Ignoring the ruckus, he following Shiro, who was approaching the final door. Shiro was hesitating, as if he were preparing himself for what was to come. They were likey about to give the blow that led to the dissolve of the Galra Empire- Keith let him pause, reveling in the sudden silence.

 

He failed to notice what the silence meant for their friends down the hall.

 

Keith placed his hand on Shiro shoulder, and Shiro turned to him. Keith lowered his head in an affirming nod. _I’m Ready._ Shiro nodded back.

 

He placed his hand on the key pad.

 

Immediately, chaos. 

 

Keith is met with a sudden fist to his head, hands on his shoulders, arms, and even _legs._ He barely registers Lance and Coran’s yelling voices in the background as his Bayard is ripped away. He attempts to jab his elbow into one of his attackers, take back his bayard, _anything_ , but it’s no use. They’re surrounded. 

 

Keith starts looking around, looking for an unguarded exit, feeling for a week spot in the hold the Galran soldiers have on him, anything that could help him escape. He finds nothing.

 

He feels panic begin to set in as his hands are put into cuffs behind his back and all but two of the soldiers leave, and now he can see what has occured.

 

Shiro, next to him, is in a similar situation, although he has double the amount of guards restraining him and he’s still flailing in their grip- Keith had given up after thirty seconds. He can’t help but feel ashamed at that.

 

Lance, Pidge, Hunk, Allura, and Coran are all being held by at least one guard- Hunk and Allura have two. None of them have their bayards. Lance is bleeding, it appears his protests got annoying enough that he had been hit in the face. He’s stopped yelling, but he’s glaring harder than Keith had ever seen. Pidge is looking down at their shoes, chest heaving. The Galra soldier is holding them with just one hand on the back of their neck- Keith cringes in empathy. 

 

Coran is saying something to Allura, who is meeting Shiro’s eyes from across the room. She looks incredibly distressed- something he rarely sees from her. Usually she’s so ready to move unto the next plan of action and fight, but now- now she justs looks…. defeated. Keith swallows.

 

Finally, standing the middle of the room, there is Zarkon, smirking. Keith feels overwhelemed with the urge to punch him. He settles for snarling.

 

“ Paladins of Voltron.” Zarkon announces, like they’re his loyal subjects and he’s making an official statement. Keith feels fury, down in his bones.

 

“ You are outnumbered, captured, and have noone to save you. You appear to have been cocky enough to bring your Princess of Nothing. A mistake, to say the least. Though I suppose you’ve already realized that.” Zarkon begins to stride to where the majority of them are, and Keith can only watch from the other side of the room.

 

“ _You filthy fucking dicta-“_ Keith begins to snarl an insult at the Galran, but it stopped by a hand wrapping itself around the back of his throat. Zarkon doesn’t even glance at him.

 

Zarkon, without saying a word, suddenly grabs Lance by the wrist, which, do to his handcuffs, brings both of his hands forward. Lance makes a noise, and attempts to pull away at first, but says nothing as Zarkon drags him towards what looks like a fish tank in the middle of the room- except there’s no fish, just a golden liquid inside. 

 

“ Funny thing about us Galrans, were fairly immune to most chemicals.” Zarkon muses, running his finger through the liquid- it appears to have the consistency of syrup, though none of it sticks to Zarkon’s furry fingers when he pulls it back up. “ Humans, however, are not.” With that, Zarkon plunges Lance’s balled-up fists into the liquid. 

 

Lance screams. 

 

Keith watches as his knees give out, but Zarkon holds his hands for a second longer, watching Lance’s face with a sick satisfaction. Keith doesn’t have time to react before Zarkon is letting go and Lance is crumpling on the floor, chest heaving and staring at his hands- they are unscratched. 

 

“ Now, unless you all would like to take a bath in some of this nice liquid, I would recommend that you tell me where your Lions are.”

 

Keith feels the words begin to rip from his chest before he can think. “ _You disgusting, evil bastard._ Like we’d ever tell you after all you’ve done. What you’ll do if you have Voltron is far worse than anything you can do to us.” Keith feels his shoulders pulled back, and he realizes he might be about to be dragged to a cell- that’s the worst thing he can think of, just being trapped, and not _knowing_ what’s happening. He’s knows his panic is showing on his face.

 

What actually happens is far worse.

 

“ Bring him here.” 

 

Zarkon’s words vibrate in Keith’s skull as he is dragged towards Zarkon. Lance is touching his hands on the ground, and Keith wonders if he’s even aware of whats going on. Wonders if he still in pain. 

 

He feels a strong hand on his neck, and the two leave his arms only for one of his shoulders to be clamped in Zarkons other hand. Keith stares at the golden goo he stands above. It has air bubbles trapped in it, and it actually looks harmless- like slime that you would get at the toy store as a kid. It does seem to glow a bit, but in any other circumstance Keith would find that welcoming. 

 

In this circumstance, it’s terrifying.

 

“ Well, even if that is true, I’ll still enjoy this.”

 

Keith registers his head being forced down, registers Allura’s whisper-yelled “ _No!”,_ and then he is met with silence. He prepares himself for the pain that hasn’t registered yet.

 

After a few seconds, it still doesn’t register. In fact, Keith can feel coolness around him. It feels sort of like he’s in thick water. He can’t breathe, but he’s definetely not in unbearable pain like Lance was.

 

He opens his eyes to a world of gold seconds before he is lifted out and suddenly is inches away from the glowing eyes of Zarkon. 

 

“ _Well,”_ he says, grinning. The room is entirely silent except for the sound of Keith’s heavy breathing. “ _It appears, paladins of Voltron, that you have a half-breed in your midst.”_

__________________

Zarkon’s word’s fill the room’, and Keith feels them register in his brain but he still doesn’t understand them. _Half-breed?_ What does that mean? Why didn’t the glowing slime hurt him when Lance- Keith look’s at Lance, who is still on the floor, but looks like managed to get in a sitting position.

 

Lance tries to back up away from Zarkon- no, away from _him._ Keith can’t fathom why his ‘rival’ would do such a thing until he captures a glimpse of his reflection in a black piece of metal. 

 

Keith’s eyes are glowing. They’re- they’re _yellow,_ like- like-

 

_Like a Galra._

 

Keith twists in the grip Zarkon has on his neck, panicking as he attempts to see Shiro. He wants to see Shiro- Shiro can tell him it’s a lie, tell him this is fake, tell him he doesn’t look like a Galra.

 

All he manages to get is a view of his friends horrified faces. Allura has gone pale and her jaw has dropped, and it looks like she would be on the floor if it weren’t for the soldiers holding her. Hunk and Pidge look scared and shocked. Coran- Coran looks _betrayed_. Keith’s throat tightens. 

 

All Keith can feel is panic, his chest feel tight and it feels like everything is collapsing. He knows he should be doing something, _saying something,_ because _Zarkon,_ a mass dictator, is standing in front of him and _grinning_ like he’s a kid who just found a stash of candy. He see’s himself in the reflection of the metal, and he recognizes that his features are changing. His ears are gone and in their place there are the bat-like ears of a _Galra._

Keith can’t wrap his mind around it. He’s _Galra._ The proof is on his face, his glowing eyes, his skin that has changed color, and he can’t see it in the black metal but he has a suspicion its purple. His ears are furry and- and suddenly he feels the _pain._

 

His momentary panic attack had left him unable to recognize the pain from his transformation, but now he feels pain in his mouth. He feels something sharp rip through his gums- he’s not sure what happened to his normal teeth, his _human_ teeth, but all he knows is his Galra ones have taken their place. 

 

Keith drops to his knees and brings a hand to his mouth. _Brings a hand to his mouth-_ that means- he pauses as he realizes he ripped off the handcuffs- it had been like ripping through strings. He shudders as blood pours from his mouth- blood that seems more purple than red, now. He can suddenly hear _everything,_ he’s overwhelmed by it- the sound of Allura’s heavy breathing, the sound of his own blood rushing through his veins, Lance whispering his name like it’s a plea. 

 

“Child.” Zarkons words make Keith whip his head up, despite the bleeding, despite how he wants to curl up in a ball and hope this was all a dream because- this can’t be real. It can’t. Maybe he got injured during the mission and he’s having some of those weird halluncinatory dreams he has when he goes into healing pods. 

 

Keith opens his mouth to say something. Insult him, ask him something, he doesn’t know. The words don’t make their way to his mouth. 

 

“Your Galran parent obviously robbed you of a prosperous life in this regime. They robbed you of being a full-fledged Galra. You’re weaker than most of us, but even unknowing of your abilities you managed to become one of the most powerful creatures in the universe- a Paladin of Voltron. Now, I will make you a deal. I know your… human attributes have caused you to form at least some connection to your fellow Paladins. For you, child of my empire, I will spare their lives, and even the servant of your falsified Princess. I can’t say the same for the Princess herself, but I will also give you a position. You will become one of my warriors, Red Paladin.” 

 

“You can become part of my regime, and you will prosper in it, even as a half-breed. Just tell me where your Lions are, and be my warrior. That’s all I ask- such a kind deal, considering all you’ve done against me and the blood running in your veins. So, Galran, what do you say?” Zarkon meets Keith’s eyes from where he is on the floor. He holds out his hand.

 

Keith looks into the reflective metal, see’s himself- see’s teeth as sharp as daggers, see’s fur on his ears, meets his own glowing yellow eyes. Keith glances at Lance- Lance, who looks terrified. He’s staring at Zarkon’s hand like it’s a weapon, which, in all honesty, it is. Keith looks at Zarkon’s hand, at himself again, then back. 

 

Keith takes Zarkon’s hand. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oo oo KEITH U BOUTTA GET FUCKED UP 
> 
> ill try to update every 1-2 days :)  
> my tumblr: http://graceisungraceful.tumblr.com/


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *announcement* idk if you get updates when I edit the story but if you bookmarked/read this fic and the last thing you read last chapter was ' half breed in your midst' then i added some to the first chapter so go read that first!!!!! thanks for reading!!!

“ You traitor!” screams Lance, who is already being grabbed by soldiers again. Keith feels himself be pulled up, feels Zarkon’s grin on him. He manages to smile back as he watches the only friends he’s ever had be dragged out of the room. He meets Allura’s eyes- she’s not being dragged away, only being held in place. Pidge is frantically talking to Hunk, and Keith thinks it’s probably reassurances. Allura looks so deeply betrays, and he almost breaks. Almost hit’s Zarkon is his face right there and then. 

Instead, he let’s Zarkon sling his hand over his shoulders, lets him squeeze him and let him go. It’s such a- a human gesture that Keith balks and freezes. 

“ You made the right decision, son,” says Zarkon, looking him in the eye as the doors slide shut, a barrier between Keith and his friends. Keith manages not to shiver. It feels like the time his foster father called him son after throwing an angry fit, punching his wife, and dragging him into the car to drive to a hotel thirty miles away. He does the same thing he did then.

He smiles at him, terrified. 

“Keith, please, you’re still a Paladin- this isn’t you. You are not your genealogy.” Keith looks at Allura as she speaks, only to see the butt of a sword driven into her jaw. She shouts, then looks down, panting as she is dragged to the wall and attached to it with lazer-like locks. She meets Keith’s eyes desperately. 

He looks away. Zarkon is spitting orders at soldiers, and Keith hears him call a tall, skinny Galran over. His skin and fur is a dark purple, almost black color. He nods at Zarkon and throws a glare at Keith. Keith has a feeling that half-Galrans aren’t as accepted as Zarkon let’s on. 

“ So, Keith, if you would be so kind, please tell us where they left the Lions,” says Zarkon, placing his hand of Keith’s shoulder. Keith hadn’t expected him to be so touchy. 

“ We left all the lions but one on the moon of a nearby planet. I- I’m not sure of the name Sir, the planet was mostly ocean with a few desert-like continents. We brought only one Lion here, the Green, it’s parked near the bottom of your control center.” Keith let’s the half-lie out easily. 

The green lion is near the bottom of the control center, since Pidge had to park it their to access it. The other Lions are not on a nearby moon, but on the opposite side of the ship to the control center. Keith cringes, Sorry Pidge. 

Keith knows he’s doing the right thing right now, he knows it. But he can’t help but think otherwise when he sees his reflection and is met with glowing eyes- his dark purple-hued eyes had always been attributed to a harmless genetic defect. 

Not so harmless after all, he thinks. 

Suddenly, there’s a nervous looking alien woman in front of him. She’s not Galran- she’s slightly shorter than any human would be, her skin is a light green, and she has no hair. Keith’s eye trails on the gash that runs through her left eye- It takes up half her face and looks like it might be infected. She reaches up to touch his face. Keith flinches immediately, grabbing her wrist to pause. 

“ I’m- I’m sorry- I just- Sir-“ She begins to mumble frantically, and Keith drops her wrist as she begins to shake. She wraps her other arm around her waist, looking at the ground. “ I just- the blood.” She finished with a whisper, and Keith glances at the hand she tried to touch him with- she’s holding a white cloth. Keith feels an odd sensation in his scalp and is vaguely aware of the fact that his new ears have moved. He doesn’t see a mirror so he can’t tell what, but he’s sure they have. He ignores it, for now. 

“ It’s fine, I can-“ Keith says, reaching for the cloth in her hands so he can do it himself. Her eyes widen.  
 “ No- no, it’s- please sir, let me.” She says, and Keith doesn’t miss the way she glances frantically at Zarkon, who is staring at them. Keith let’s her wipe his face this time.

Keith meets Allura’s eyes as the alien girl begins to wipe the blood from his jaw. She’s being spoken to by someone, but she’s focused on Keith intently, her jaw clenched. Keith watches her watch the girl clean his jaw. No one else would see it, but Keith can see that she’s furious. Keith hopes she heard him lying earlier and the anger is over Zarkon, not him.

As the girl steps away and hurriedly walks off, Keith reaches up to feel his jaw. Any pain he had during his little ‘ transformation ‘ is gone. He reaches into his mouth for a millisecond- and snaps it away when he feels dagger-sharp teeth inside.

“ We’ve found the Green Lion sir, it appears the halfling wasn’t lying.” A soldier who is stationed at a screen’s words force Keith to look over. He see’s video of Galran soldiers shooting at Pidge’s Lion- the Lion’s may be somewhat sentient, but they aren’t very good at controlling themselves without a paladin. Although it seems to struggle away from the metal plates they’re attaching to its feet, it’s no use.

Keith cringes. Pidge was going to despise him. He arranges his face into a reflection of Zarkon’s- a stoic, approving expression- as the man turns to him. He hopes his ears aren’t doing anything weird- god forbid there be some offensive Galra symbol he’s accidentally flashing.

“ Hmm. Well, that at least shows us we can trust you to keep acting like you want this, whether it’s the truth or not. How about we have a test that’s a little more… weight to it?” says Zarkon, and Keith feels dread settle in his stomach moments before his bayard is being thrust at him. It’s a comfort and a curse at the same time, because of what happens next. 

“ Kill her.” says Zarkon, standing behind him. Keith freezes in his place. He’d been forming a plan- a plan that depended on him being here for at least a week. But this was now. He was being asked to kill Allura. It wasn’t an option. It never would be. 

Despite that, he takes a few slow steps forward until he’s close enough to touch Allura. The guards that had been standing near her stepped away. 

Keith has a feeling that Allura didn’t hear his lies earlier, because she looks terrified. He didn’t know he’d learned her face so well until now- he recognizes an emotion that he’d never seen so explicitly on the Princess’s face. She swallows, and Keith wonders if she’s about to beg. 

Instead, she tilts her chin up proudly and meets Keith’s eyes, not saying a word. 

 

He feels Zarkons presence behind him as he equips his bayard. He straightens his back, squares his shoulders, and reflects Allura’s expression back at her. 

And swings. 

____________

The blade connects with Zarkon’s abdomen, and Keith cringes when he makes it through the armor. He’s never given such a fatal blow before, and he can feel the blade sink into flesh.

He meets Zarkon’s stunned and angry eyes for a split second before he’s being attacked on all sides. He see’s someone grab Zarkon around the armpits and drag his slumping figure away from the soon-to-be carnage. 

Keith swings his sword into the forearm of closest should to him, causing them to drop their gun. Keith grabs it from midair as he simultaneously drives his sword into where Allura is chain into the wall. He tosses the gun into her free hand, and, one hand attached to the wall, she begins to shoot. 

He doesn’t pay attention to her, opting to instead deflect the laser that had been making it’s way towards his chest. Keith hits the Galra soldier in the back of the head with the side of his bayard. 

He turns to realize that Allura, despite being chained to the wall, had managed to take out the three other soldiers who had attacked them- Keith frowned. Shouldn’t there be more soldiers? In fact, shouldn’t they be being mobbed?

He glanced around, and realized the room was empty except for the incapacitated men on the floor, him, and Allura. Then he realized- I just very possibly killed Zarkon. Of course they’re all going to rush to him. I guess they’re more afraid of him than I thought. 

“ Keith.” He hears Allura’s wheeze and he suddenly wants to hit himself in the head for not checking on her. He turns around to see Allura, slumped as much as she can with her arm connected to the wall, gun dropped. He glances down and sees a deep, golf-ball sized burn in her leg. Keith let’s his bayard revert back to its original form, clenching in his fist as picks up the gun Allura had dropped and shoots the handcuff holding Allura to the wall. 

It breaks open immediately and he catches Allura in a bridal style as she makes a pained noise. 

“ Keith- I- did you know of this? “ She asked, and Keith hates how broken she sounds, physically and emotionally. He sighs and shakes his head as he does some awkward shifting to get her unto his back so he has more access to his hands. Allura’s grip on his shoulders is weak. 

“ Allura- I swear- if I’d known- well, your right- I probably would have hidden it. Well, at first, at least. I like to think I would have told you eventually if I wasn’t forced too. I- I’m sorry, Allura. I understand if you dont wan’t a Galra on your te-“ Keith is cut off from his little self-deprecating speech when Allura suddenly tightens her grip on his shoulders. 

“ Keith, even if you had been lying, which I trust that you weren’t, I would never want you to leave Voltron. Not only do we need you, we value you. This is just another obstacle- no, it’s not even that. It’s just a change. “ She said, her words slurring towards the end. Keith swallowed. He hoped it was just pain making her tired and not blood loss- it looked like the laser had managed to cauterize the wound at the same time it created it, but he couldn’t be sure. He began to make his way toward the door he’d seen the soldiers take the other out of. 

“ Wait, Keith! You have to destroy that!” Allura suddenly exclaimed, pointing at some sort of control panel. Keith didn’t have to be told twice to destroy a piece of Galra tech.

He pushed over the tank of golden liquid onto the control panel.

Second later, as the goop burned through various equipments and dripped onto the inner wirings, the power flicked out. All the doors in the room slid open. Allura sighed against his neck, and Keith nearly drops her as her grip completely relaxes. He tries to focus on not panicking as he hoists the unconscious Princess higher on his shoulders.

Yellow eyes glowing in the darkness and white hair falling over his shoulders, Keith begins to make his way towards his friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> was that a cliffhanger? i was gonna make it a cliffhanger but then i didn't. next chapter we get to see how Fcking Rude Everyone Is
> 
> also if you like please leave comments!!! also you can send me constructive criticism on my tumblr im a pretty new author so :) (


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: updates every 1-2 days!!!!! : )   
> me, 3 months later, sobbing: im a ball of shit

“ How- How couldn’t we have noticed? He’s- he’s _Galra? “_

 

_“_ It doesn’t matter anymore.” 

 

Hunk glanced at Lance as the lankier of them responded. Lance was sitting against the wall of their cell, legs curled into his chest and arms around his waist. He was staring at the cell door.

 

“ I’m- I’m sure there’s an _explanation,_ Hunk.” said Shiro, who was in the cell next to them. A wall made of what appeared to be laser’s separated them so they could see each other through an otherwise solid translucent pink wall. In any other situation, Hunk would be interested in the mechanics of it, but now his throat closed up at the sight.

 

Hunk paused in his pacing to face Shiro in his cell. Shiro and Pidge were sitting criss-cross-applesauce on the ground, facing each other as PIdge fiddled with Shiro’s Galra arm and tried to undo whatever the soldier who had brought them in had done to it. The soldier had placed a small object into the crook of the elbow, and suddenly it was completely non-functioning. Shiro couldn’t even move it. 

 

“ Do you think he knew this whole time?” asked Pidge. It wasn’t to anyone in particular, but Hunk jumped to answer. 

 

“ Did you see how freaked out he looked before Zarkon’s whole speech? That’’s not something you can _act._ “ 

 

“ Well being a Galra isn’t something you can hide, but look where we _fucking are._ “ commented Lance, who had been silent up until now. He pauses, as if considering if he’s going to speak- Hunk thinks that he’s never seen Lance do that before- he tends to blurt everything, unthinking of the consequences. “ I didn’t- I didn’t actually not like him, y’know? I mean, yeah, we were rivals and I was kinda upset when I found out he’d barely been trying- maybe it’s because he’s Galra? Maybe Galra spies are trained to be good at piloting? Or maybe I just sucked.” 

 

Hunk began to tell to him that wasn’t true, _couldn’t_ be true, but Lance cut him off. “I was starting to trust him, well, obviously I’ve always trusted him at least a little, or we wouldn’t be able to form Voltron. But I actually thought I was starting to get to know him- and- and- _I liked him._ “ Lance whispered his last words, then paused, staring at his hands. “ _I fucking liked a Galra._ And we let him be a paladin of Voltron- which, I guess doesn’t really matter because obviously he’s decided to _betray us,_ so I guess Voltron’s out of the question. So now we’re just like everyone else. Just a couple of Alien prisoners on a ship, trillions of kilometers from home.” Lance visibly shuddered, pulling his knees to his chest and hugging them. 

 

“ Lance,-“ Hunk began to say, reaching out for his friend. Lance met his gaze, and Hunk barely had time to register the fury in them, and then an alarm was blaring. 

 

Immediately, Shiro was on his feet, followed by a slightly more-cautious Pidge. Hunk reflected Shiro as their leader walked to the front of their cells and looked out.

 

Previously, there had been four at-attention guards in the hallway where there cells were, all spaced out evenly. Now, one of them had disappeared and three of them were looking through a window on the door. They were all talking frantically into the small ball-like structures that Pidge had once hypothesized to be like walkie-talkies. Their cells appeared to be soundproofed from the outside, so they couldn’t hear what was going on. 

 

Lance had looked up from his curled up position on the ground, and Hunk balked when he realized it looked like his friend had been crying. Before they had time to react to anything, one of the guards visibly shouted and swung open the cell block door, running through it and disappearing. All of the other guards quickly followed. 

 

They all exchanged a questioning glance as they were suddenly left alone in the block. Shiro was tensed, his human arm clinging to his deadweight Galra arm tightly as he stood silently, waiting for a response.

  
“Wha-“ Hunk began to say, but was interrupted by the cell block door suddenly slamming open, quickly followed by a panicked-looking Galra soldier.

 

Everyone took in a breath in unison as they all realized in unison- _not_ a Galra soldier. Keith, in his new Galra form, Allura hoisted on his shoulders. 

 

Hunk, and the others, were’t sure what to think immediately- Keith’s expression is hard to tell when it’s morphed into a Galra’s face. He looked determined, at most. Allura appeared to be passed out, Keith holding her arms to his chest so she doesn’t fall over- it looked quite ridiculous, as the Princess is quite tall. Her hair was falling over his face.

 

He looked _murderous._

 

“ Keith!” Pidge and Hunk shouted in unison, and Keith’s head snapped to them in an entirely inhumane matter. His body language was more that of a cat than a humans. Hunk and Pidge visibly took a step back, unsure whether to trust Keith.

 

Without responding to his obviously distressed friends, Keith gently lowered Princess Allura to the floor- her body sagged like a ragdoll, and everyone winced in unison as they see the blood that dripped from her leg. 

 

Keith walked towards their cell, gazing at them apprehensively- no, not them, the lazer-wall seperating them. His eyes made their way to the edge, and, in the blink of an eye, he pulls out his gun. 

 

Shiro casually stepped in front of Pidge- a movement that, while appearing to me flippant, speaks a thousand words. Keith didn’t even glance at them as he promptly shot the wall. It’s loud- it echoes with a defining _crack_ \- but after briefly turning bright white, the wall dissapated.

 

Keith unceremoniously shoots the cell next to them, containing Lance and Hunk. For a moment, everyone is frozen. Lance was still curled on the floor, face upturned. He looked shaken to the bone. 

 

Keith seemed to pause temporarily in his unreactionary state- he’s staring at Lance on the floor. The moment is tense.

 

Hunk breaks the moment by leaping forward and engulfing Keith it a giant, overbearing hug. Keith froze, as if unsure how to reciprocate. 

 

“ I knew it, man! I knew you’d come save us- you know, it doesn’t even matter that your a Galra now- half Galra? Whatever. Your still part of V-“ Hunk prattled into a speech, tears immediately poured down his face. He’s suddenly cut off by Pidge. 

 

“Princess!” they gasped, making a beeline for her collapsed form. Everyone seemed to remember her at once, and they all leaped into action- even Lance, who had seemed to be completely incapable of movement for the past few minutes, scrambled to his feet and practically sprinted to her. 

 

Shiro is the first one to her, somehow. He brushes her hair out of her face with his human arm- nonfunctioning arm hanging at his side, useless. 

 

“ What happened, Keith?” Shiro demands, finding his way to her injured leg that Pidge had immediately made their way to. Keith is still standing dumbstruck, partially in Hunk’s arms- the darker skinned of the two looks torn between clutching Keith like his life depends on it and rushing to the Princess. Keith clears his throat finally. 

 

“ I stabbed Zarkon, we took out a couple of soldiers together- the Princess was shot, evidentally. I went looking for either you guys or other prisoners- I’ve been unlocking all of these cells, most of them seem like they have a way to escape as long as they’re free.” Keith said, all in a moment. For a moment, everyone paused, as if scrutinizing this story-

 

And then shouting from far away. Everyone exchanged a panicked glance before Shiro was hoisting the Princess over his shoulder with one arm, impressively- he didn’t even huff as he did so. 

 

“We need to get to our bayards, then our lions. I can sense mine- they probably have them all together, so we’ll head toward that- tell me if you sense your bayard in a different direction.” Shiro said, suddenly into Commander mode. No one questioned him, instead all drifting closer, like boats to a lighthouse in a storm. Keith coughed into his hand. His ears flattened slightly as he spoke. 

 

“ Pidge- Zarkon wouldn’t trust me unless I told him where the Lions were. I had to give him something- and yours was away from everyone elses. I’m sorry.” He says, and Pidge visibly flinches. They don’t say anything, but look away and nod, swallowing. 

 

The shouts draw closer, and, glancing at eachother, they run. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me, editing absoluteely nothing: itll be fine  
> me, realizing i completely forgot about coran: fuck uh. he was never there okay hes at the castl enow. ( im gonna do some heavy editing after i finish everything lmao. i should probably find someone to beta for me tbh)

Keith has no idea where he’s going. He can’t think about anything right now, _won’t_ think about anything right now, except the sound of feet slamming on the floor and the back of Shiro’s head, decorated by a drooling Allura. Keith momentarily thinks that Lance would find this sight hilarious, in any other situation. Would probably ask the unconcious princess if she was thinking of him.

 

Keith nearly hits himself for thinking of that sort of thing when they’re running for their lives. He should be thinking about protecting people. Should be saving prisoners. Should be doing anything but thinking about Lance’s laugh when they might die today. 

 

They hit a corner, and the skid of Shiro’s feet against the floor is deafening as he slows to turn. They all stop in their tracks as they come face-to-face with five Galran soldiers. 

 

Four paladins glance at eachother over their leaders shoulder, as if thinking in unision: they’ve got to protect Allura. Immediately, they all rush in front of Shiro, who had looked prepared to fight with an alien princess hanging over his shoulder.

 

Keith goes for a smaller Galran who wields a vicious looking pair of katanas- he’s not sure how to fight against those, so he just starts swinging. The clang of metal on metal fills his ears, and he realizes that this fighter is _good._ Better than him, probably. But Keith just twists, narrowly avoiding a slash that should have taken off his head. 

 

Keith’s already almost wheezing when he glances at his fellow Paladins- Hunk’s gone for the biggest guy, has him shoved to the ground with his bayard. Pidge is engaged in hand-to-hand combat with a Galran twice their size, but they appear to be holding their own well enough. And- Lance. Keith freezes for a moment when he realizes that Lance is against a wall, the other two Galran soldiers quickly advancing on the blue paladin.

 

Keith pays for his momentary pause- he feels a shove against his armor as it breaks for one of the katanas, and he nearly falls to his knees in agony as it slices _deep_ into his arm. Keith can’t breath, but- 

He meets Lance’s eyes as one of the katanas goes for his head. And Lance is going to die, now- he can’t hold up against two of them, not when it looks like he’s already injured and cornered. And noone else has noticed their friends predicament, yet. 

 

Keith stabs the Galran through the ribcage. 

 

He doesn’t turn to see him slump to the ground, doesn’t bother to listen to the alien choking on his own blood. Keith just goes for the two Galra who surround Lance, who’s lifted his gun and is aiming for one of his approachers- Keith goes for the other. 

 

Keith doesn’t feel bad about stabbing someone in the back. 

 

He doesn’t really feel anything at all. 

 

Lance shoots the other Galran, and frantically looks for his other assaulter. His eyes find the body slumped on the ground, and those bright blues eyes trail about Keith’s body to meet his eyes. Keith watches him flinch- knows it’s because of the bright yellow his eyes are, now. Knows he looks like an enemy, now. 

 

Silence perviates the room. The small battle is over. Keith can’t help but feel less like a hero, in a room full of bodies. He’s frozen, and so is Lance. He can almost feel Hunk and Pidge’s eyes on him, as if wondering if he’s about to attack Lance, too. 

 

Shiro breaks the silence by stepping forward. They all turn and follow their leader down the hall. 

 

___________________________

 

They make it out. It’s not as hard as it should be- they only have to go through a few more guards to get out. Methodically, they release prisoners along the way, barely glancing at their faces as they make their way to the lions. 

 

Keith, for the first time, feels foreign inside his Lion. Through his projection window, he sees Pidge standing at the base of Hunk’s lion, arms tucked beneath their armpits. They look like they might charge back in to find their own lion. 

 

Hunk pulls them away, gently leading them back into the yellow lion with a few mumbled words. Keith swallows harshly. 

 

He wasn’t even sure Red would let him back in- after- after he became _this._ He steps closer, eyes wide and unsure. 

 

Red roars open, and he nearly crumples in relief. He makes his way into the cockpit, the hum of metal around him and the general aura Red gives off making him want to curl himself into her comfort. But this isn’t the time for that- he plops himself into the pilot seat.

 

The flight back to the castle is suprisingly uneventful. Shiro apparently had Allura bandanged as best he could for the moment, and had strapped her limp body to the floor while he flew. Shiro’s voice over the intercom telling them of Allura’s condition was the only noise to be heard- everyone else was dead silent. Everyone knew it was about Keith- they would have known even without the connection of Voltron. Usually, unless they’ve formed Voltron, they can’t really tell what’s going on in the others’ heads. They’ve been getting a bit better at it, but it never comes naturally. 

 

But right now Keith feels swarmed with confusion, all being lugged directly at him. Betrayal, too- he can’t help but feel that alot of that is coming from Lance. He doesn’t know why- he didn’t think Lance liked him at all, he would think the Blue Paladin would be crooning to the others about how he was right that Keith was a bad dude. But theres just simmering silence between them. 

 

They make it back with no Galra attacks. The castle ship is an overwhelmingly comforting site at this point. Shiro leads them into the hangar- Keith feels the absence of Green as he lands- and for a moment, everything is still. Finally, the whir of the Black Lion opening, and Keith see’s Shiro carrying Allura bridal-style. Keith vaguely recognizes Coran speaking over the intercommes in a panicky tone. The yellow Lion opens up- Keith is going to have to get out soon. Can’t stay in here forever. His fingers found the button to release the door- he catches a glimpse of bright yellow eyes in the metal. 

 

With shaking hands he presses the button and stands. He pauses at exit to his Lion- everyone can see him- Hunk and Pidge, who have gotten out of their Lions, Shiro- who’s on his way out, obviously carrying Allura to the healing pods- and-

 

Lance is standing at the exit to his Lion, too, directly across from Keith. He hasn’t taken off any of his armor, yet, even his helmet is still on, and his bayard is out. Keith’s never really been intimidated by Lance before- but somehow, now he is. Lance was a bit of a joke most of the time, honestly. But Lance isn’t laughing now. 

 

Keith makes his way down to the floor of the hangar and sidles to the foot of his Lion, leaning against it. He’s about to fall to the ground a moment after he hears the door slide shut, signalling that Shiro and Allura have left the room. 

 

And suddenly Keith can no longer slide down, because his head is slamming back into the metal of his lions leg and theres an armored forearm against his throat. Keith wasn’t prepared, hadn’t had time to take a breath- so he stares, quietly beginning to choke, at Lance, who has removed his helmet at some point, but now has him shoved against a wall with a _livid_ expression on his face. 

 

“Lance-“ Hunk says from behind, but Lance doesn’t appear to hear him at all. Keith can’t breathe, and he feels something brush against the back of his scalp- his ears are flattened, like a scared cats. Keith swallows tightly, feeling his Adam’s apple drag along the armor on Lance’s arm. 

 

“ What the _fuck?!_ Suddenly your a fucking _Galra?_ We shouldn’t have let you come back here, even- what if your a spy? Maybe that’s how they find us. Are you a spy, huh?” Lance is practically spitting in his face, and Keith has never seen Lance look this angry. He’s pushing harder against Keith’s throat, and Keith is fighting for _air-_ he can’t answer questions right now. But Lance isn’t letting up- Keith let’s out a choking noise. 

 

“ _Dude._ ” he hears Hunk protesting- see’s a hand grabbing Lance’s shoulder- black dots in his vision now. Finally, the grip let’s up a bit. Just enough for him to gasp for air and fall limp- suddenly the only thing holding him up is the arm against his throat. Lance is pretty strong, actually. 

 

Hunk may have stopped Lance from choking him out, but the Yellow Paladin looks conflicted on whether or not to stop this whole thing all together. Lance isn’t looking at his eyes- he’s looking at the purple Galran hair- fur? on his face, the bat like ears, the purple-tinged skin. Keith brings his hand to wrap around Lance’s forearm- a desperate attempt to keep him from pushing harder again. 

 

Wrong choice. Lance’s eyes are dragged to Keith’s fingers- his _claws._ Lance shoves harder, and Keith wheezes. 

 

“Tell me what the fuck is going on, or I _will_ knock you upside your traitor head and drag you to whatever functions as a cell in this castle.” Lance hisses. Keith knows he’s telling the truth- is suprised he’s not spouting death threats, with the look on his face. Maybe it’s for Hunk’s sake. 

 

“I-“ Keith croaks, and even though he’s complying, Lance pushes hard. Keith resists the urge to claw at Lance’s arm. “ I didn’t _know_.” he chokes, and Lance’s eyes narrow- It randomly occurs to Keith that Lance has pretty eyes. This isn’t the _time._

 

“ I don’t beli-“ Lance begins to hiss at him again, but suddenly a door slides open and there stands Shiro- Coran close behind him. Shiro has enough time to glance over all of them, his eyes focusing in on Keith and Lance before Lance shoves off Keith, the taller of the two crossing his arms defensively, as if prepared to disregard any dissaproval. He looks more determined than Keith has ever seen him.

 

“What’s going on?” Shiro asks, voice not raised or lowered. Lance seems to crumple a little- Keith thinks it might be something to do with growing up with real parents, but he’s not sure- Shiro’s tone doesn’t really affect him. 

 

“What’s going on is we brought a _Galran_ back to our base- brought a _traitor._ And you don’t even say _anything_ about it- like it doesn’t _matter._ Like we haven’t _fought_ his kind. Like we haven’t _killed_ for this. Like thousands- millions, _billions_ haven’t died over _him!_ ” Lance’s voice rises as he speaks, and Keith finds himself pressing back against his Lions leg. His ears are completely flat. 

Keith brings himself to glance at Shiro’s reaction- Shiro is staring, mouth open, at Lance. Coran has his eyes glued directly on Keith- on his newfound Galra features. He seems speechless.

 

“Now that’s a bit of an exaggeration, isn’t it?”

 

Pidge? Keith looks at them- but they haven’t said anything. Keith realizes the distinctly feminine came from behind him. All eyes swivel there. 

 

Galran armor. Keith left his bayard in his Lion. Keith’s breathing is caught off again- but not from Lance’s arm, this time- this time from shock. They followed them. Was it because of Keith? Lance seems to think so, as as he releases his bayard, his head whips to Keith. 

 

Keith drags his eyes from Lance, and the Galran soldier- is taking off their helmet. 

Pale, almost white skin. Dark brown, monolid eyes. Dark hair tied back. 

 

A human. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me, realizing that the new season is coming out soon and could disprove all of my planned theories: GOTTA WRITE GOTTA WRITEHJ AHDJKSLHADKJLSHkjl
> 
> also ; ) who is this mystery human? wot are they doing here,,,, i wonder?????


End file.
